1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to traction devices, and more particularly to traction devices of the type in which a person is suspended from the midsection in order to stretch the spinal area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various conditions can result in painful lesions forming on the side of the spine. These conditions, such as deteriorated or bulging disks, inflammed disks, spondylothesis and spinal muscular spasms, have been at least partially relieved by traction devices in which the patient is suspended from his midsection over a padded type of trapeze. The weight of the patient's torso, plus any weights he may carry in his hands, tends to stretch the spinal column and provide some relief.
In one prior art device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,708 to Victor Steele issued July 20, 1971, a pair of square or rectangular body support blocks are mounted on a trapeze-type bar. The blocks are rotatable on the bar, allowing them to be rotated ninety degrees to a vertical position when a person's thighs are brought into contact with them. The person then swings his body over the bar until his feet engage a supporting mechanism and the upper portion of his body hangs vertically downward. In effecting this movement the blocks are rotated under the weight of the person's body until they are generally parallel with the floor.
A variation of this prior art device, built as a portable frame for mounting in a doorway, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,403, also to Victor Steele, issued Mar. 7, 1978. In this device the support blocks are cylindrical rather than flat, and again are rotatably mounted on a support bar.
While the above prior art devices do provide some relief for various back conditions, it has been found that they do not provide the maximum relief possible. While their body support blocks are rotatable about the trapeze bar, this rotational capability is utilized only to assist the patient in reaching a final hanging position after mounting. The ultimate angular position of the blocks is determined as a matter of patient comfort, and does not take into account the position that will have the optimum theraputic effect. More specifically, spinal lesions can be relieved by activating the sacrum pump to force spinal fluid up and down the spine. The above prior art devices, however, do not fully activate the sacrum pump, leaving room for improvment in the relief which they provide.